No cooling, r-25, how to add freon?...

[captstu]

Our 2010 R25 a/c is not cooling.

A solid stream of water comes out the port side.

I can hear the compressor start and run normally.

The air flow is strong and the fan speed adjust easily.

The problem came on over weeks, very cold, cold, not so cold . . .

The unit is a Dometic Passpoet elite.

Where do I add gas? How do I gain access?

Thank you.

 

[knotflying]

I suggest a marine a/c tech. There are several things that can cause this issue including a leak. Adding coolant to a leaking unit is wasting coolant. Have the problem diagnosed first. Then go for the fix.

 

[captstu]

Knot, if it is a leak, it is most likely a slow one. $10 of refrigerant key keep the Admiral cool and happy until we return to home base. If the leak is one can a year like my 5 cans in 15 years, then I'll try some sealant for a while and be happy.

Techs on boat a/c units are a large fraction of the cost to just swap out the unit. - also a job for home.

Thanks for the advice. Stu

 

[captstu]

Tried the heat this morning, Worked FINE.???

Flipped over to cool, worked fine also.

Can the REVERSING VALVE be part way stuck?

 

[knotflying]

Like I said it can be many things. Also, adding coolant is a lot more sophisticated than just a can and a hose. The units can carry different types of coolant. When I had to replace my compressor they used good old R-22. You can't mix and match coolant. And placed a big sticker on the unit advising just to use that. Also there is supposed to be a certain pressure for the coolant. Perhaps you have the specs and the gauges, I don't, There are certain things I just let the guys with the knowledge and proper tools handle. As an example, last year my a/c went out. In two minutes the tech new what to check and diagnosed the problem in another five.
Just say'n.

 

[Connerkip]

Is it possible the unit was just cycling in defrost mode? There are settings for this in the controller panel.

 

[knotflying]

I was just going to post the same thought. The condenser may be freezing up. If you do not have it programmed for a defrost cycle and you are in a humid environment the condenser will freeze up without the defrost cycle programmed. The fact that you had the a/c off and then turned it on and had cooling leads to a possible conclusion of frozen condenser.

 

[captstu]

I suppose auto defrost was possible. But the compressor was running, water was flowing out of the condenser cooling line, and the evaporator was at room temp.

I'll never know, it is working fine now.

Thanks for the ideas. /Stu

 

[knotflying]

The compressor will run during auto defrost it goes into reverse cycle to warm the coil so it will defrost. Conversley if you are not set for auto defrost the compressor will keep running and water will still flow because the a/c is still trying to cool down the boat, but no air can get through the coil because it is frosted up. At this juncture, as they say, if it works don't fix it.

 

[doke01]

Make sure you clean the air filter also. A dirty filter/poor air flow will ice up the coils and there won't be any airflow over the coils so no cold air.